Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 16:15:03 +0100
From: glaad@glaad.org (GLAAD)
Subject: Dispatch-Bulletin, December 1995
DISPATCH-BULLETIN
December 1995
PFLAG LAUNCHES AD CAMPAIGN
CBN Threatens Legal Action
PFLAG, in an effort to increase awareness and understanding of the
potential violence in anti-gay/lesbian attitudes, has launched Project Open
Mind. Two television advertisements have been produced: one shows a
teenage woman contemplating suicide while Radical Right voices espouse
anti-gay/lesbian ideas, and the other depicts a man running from a
gay-bashing group. Both ads clearly demonstrate how dangerous such bigotry
can be, illustrating the continuum from violent rhetoric to violence.
Project Open Mind was simultaneously launched publicly at press
conferences in Washington DC, Atlanta, Tulsa and Houston, on November 8th.
In Houston, all but one of the local television stations refused to air the
ads. The General Manager, Allan Howard, of Channel 11 (CBS) said he would
agree to air only one of the ads. In Tulsa, KJRH (NBC) did run the ads for
five days, only to cave in to pressure from the Christian Broadcasting
Network, pulling the ads. A one-time buy on CNN's Larry King Live was
pulled because of legal threats.
PFLAG has received extraordinary media coverage on this project via
radio, television and the press.
In order to thank the stations that did agree to air the ad(s), please
write/call:
Channel 11 (CBS)
Allan Howard, General Manager
1945 Allen
Houston , TX 77019
(713) 526-1111 / fax (713) 520-7763
WTTG (FOX)
General Manager
Washington, DC
(202) 244-5151
To let the other non-cooperating stations know how you feel, please write/call:
Channel 2 (NBC)
Steve Wasserman, General Manager
8181 SW
Houston, TX 77094
(713) 222-2222 / fax (713) 270-9334
Channel 13 (ABC)
Jim Masucci, General Manager
3310 Bissonnet
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 666-0713 / fax (713) 666-2432
KHTV (Ind), Houston: Jerry Marcus, (GM), (713) 781-3939
KJRH (NBC), Tulsa: Bill Donahue, (GM), (918) 743-2222
KTUL (ABC), Tulsa: Ron Stevens, (NSM), (918) 445-9316
WAGA (FOX), Atlanta: Jack Sander, (GM), (404) 898-0240
WSB (ABC), Atlanta: Greg Stone, (GM), (404) 897-7000
GLAAD/PFLAG
PFLAG COUNTERS WITH USA TODAY AD
PFLAG ran an ad in USA Today on November 21st using images and language
from their Project Open Mind campaign. This allowed PFLAG another forum
for their message without the obstacle of the Christian Broadcast Network.
Letters to the editor to balance the negative response that USA Today
will receive can be sent to:
Editor
USA Today
fax (703) 276-5513 or
email: usatoday@clark.net
(note: be sure to include your name, address and daytime phone number for
verification purposes)
A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW
WVIA, a public television and radio station in Scranton, Pennsylvania,
has refused to air a sponsorship announcement for Recreationally and
Educationally Active Community Heroes (REACH), which is a local social club
for gay, lesbian and bisexual members.
Typically, for $150, organizations or individuals can have their
sponsorship aired on WVIA during the day, along with a brief message. WVIA
refused the sponsorship, citing that the station does not air announcements
from "political organizations." REACH's intended message clearly states
that they are a non-political club. What REACH wanted to convey to its
listening members, as well as to the general public, was its support of
WVIA in honor of October being Gay History Month.
Larry Vojtko, a WVIA official, said, "We don't want the station to be
embroiled in any sort of controversial public relations situation." Vojtko
also claims that WVIA is not being discriminatory, because the station is
not airing sponsorships from Planned Parenthood and Pennsylvanians for
Human Life. WVIA's policy is to not "push a certain point of view".
Vojtko and Bill Kelly, President of WVIA, discussed REACH's sponsorship and
concluded they needed to avoid possible bad publicity.
To let WVIA know what you think of their policy, please write/call:
WVIA
Bill Kelly or Larry Vojtko
70 Old Boston Road
Pittston, PA 18640
(717) 655-2808
Scranton Times
PRIEST COMES OUT IN LITTLE ROCK, FINALLY
After months of resistance from representatives of the Catholic Church,
theater owners and Miramax, GLAAD/Little Rock and the Unitarian
Universalist Church produced a special showing of Priest on November 18th.
Priest was scheduled to show at the Market Street Cinema in August, but
was pulled after the theater received several complaints. That decision
touched off controversy over censorship, prompting GLAAD/Little Rock and
others to protest the theater. Deen Lincoln, owner of the Market Street
Theater, acknowledged that he was "flooded" with calls from the public
requesting that Priest be shown, but said he felt the movie was too
controversial.
Acting with assistance from GLAAD/Tuscaloosa, the UUC Film Society was
able to obtain the film from a distributor dealing in 16mm versions, which
is the format generally used by film societies. The UUC board approved the
showing at the church.
As GLAAD Little Rock's first event it was a big success. More than 250
people viewed the movie. Kudos to David Ivers and GLAAD/Little Rock for
their tenacity.
GLAAD Little Rock
IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL!
The two authors of an editorial column entitled "Familymatters/Families
Matter" from the Laurel Leader-Call (Mississippi) are encouraging people to
boycott Disney for several reasons. The column mentions Disney's new
policy of extending employee benefits to same-gender partners, which, the
authors believe, promotes "values and lifestyles that are injurious to our
family and our culture." Other reasons include Disney's more adult-oriented
movies, like "Priest" (which deals with a gay member of the clergy), and a
book called "Growing Up Gay", (which is published by a Disney-owned
company).
The columnists are chastising Disney for having a Gay and Lesbian Day at
Disneyworld in Florida. In addition, Disney's film company, Miramax,
participates in the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. The
columnists want families to not visit the Magic Kingdom, to stop renting or
buying Disney movies for their children, and to cease from purchasing any
Disney-marketed toys or products.
To let Disney know you support their open-minded policies, please write
or call:
Michael Eisner, Chairman & CEO
Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
(818) 560-1000
If you wish to send your comments to the columnists:
Jane Blackledge & Christie Landgraf
c/o Laurel Leader-Call
130 Beacon Street
Laurel, MS 39440
Laurel
Leader-Call /
Camp Sister Spirit
OF SOUND MIND?
The American Family Association (AFA) is attacking several companies
that are encouraging business from the gay and lesbian community. Among
them are Charles Schwab Corporation, MCI Communication Corporation and Walt
Disney Company. The AFA has launched nation-wide hate campaigns against
these businesses, exhibiting much homophobia.
Charles Schwab was recently one of the major sponsors of the 19th annual
Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival in San Francisco. They also have
begun testing how to use direct-mail to contact the gay and lesbian
community. MCI is another company invested in direct-mail efforts, in
order to cross-promote themselves with the National Gay and Lesbian
Business Alliance (NGLBA). In addition, according to the AFA, MCI offers
long-distance discounts to businesses owned by "homosexuals". The recent
attack on Disney centers around an upcoming film "Lie Down With Dogs";
according to the AFA, it is "a homosexual film."
Bill Smith of Smith Capital Management wrote about the "degenerate
impact of homosexuality on people and societies." Other letters mention
"moral opposition" and "disappointment." In the AFA Journal, Austin Pryor
of "Sound Mind Investing" answers readers' concerns regarding Schwab:
"Indifferent to the lessons of several thousand years of human history and
the moral force of Judeo-Christian tradition, our society and government
has increasingly legitimized homosexual conduct..."
To demonstrate your support of Schwab, MCI and Disney, contact:
Charles R. Schwab, Chair
The Charles Schwab Corporation
101 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 627-7000 / fax (415) 627-8894
Bert C. Roberts, Jr., Chair
MCI Communication Corporation
1801 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 872-1600 / fax (202) 887-2195 / toll free (800) 444-3333
(for Disney's address & phone number, please see "It's A Small World After
All!")
Reuters
WEB SITE BLOCK RECONSIDERED
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) commends
Microsystems Software, Inc. for their decision to reconsider blocking gay
and lesbian web sites through its software "Cyber Patrol". This software,
along with one called "SurfWatch", was originally slated to block any gay
or lesbian resources on the World Wide Web, without knowing what those
sites contained.
"If sexual explicitness was the issue, we were worried that gay and
lesbian sites were being blocked more so than non-gay sites. There was too
much inconsistency," stated William Waybourn, GLAAD's Managing Director.
"We are committed to making sure that the community is treated in a fair
and balanced manner."
Richard Gorgens, of Microsystems Software, Inc., says their panel of
decision-makers is made up of parents and educators. GLAAD would like to
see members of the gay and lesbian community added to that panel. Waybourn
states that Microsystems is "receptive" to that idea. Gorgens has
suggested that regular meetings take place, involving educators, parents,
clergy and gay/lesbian community members.
GLAAD encourages you to thank Microsystems for their reconsideration of
the blockage. Become part of the dialogue, become part of the solution!
Microsystems Software, Inc.
600 Worcester Road
Framington, MA 01701
(508) 879-9000
e-mail: cyberinf@microsys.com
GLAAD
NOT IN OUR TOWN
An anti-Semitic incident in the town of Billings, Montana inspired its
residents to organize and show their solidarity. When a brick was thrown
through the window of a Jewish family's home displaying a menorah, the
other residents responded by displaying paper menorahs that had been
distributed via the local newspaper. More windows were then broken. What
happened in Billings is the focus of a program produced by the California
Working Group called Not In Our Town. The producers are encouraging human
rights groups everywhere to participate in a Not In Our Town week, where
the program can foster open community dialogue.
This inspiring story of people working together is slated to play on
Public Broadcasting Stations around the country, in late December or early
January. Call your local PBS station and urge them to show Not In Our
Town. Thank them if the program is already scheduled.
Rural Organizing Project
Oregon
SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
Martina Navratilova joined with Visa, Travellers Bank and Suburu to give
gays, lesbians and bisexuals a special Visa credit card. It is the Rainbow
Card and it allows cardholders to specify chosen family members, and allows
for joint applications from lesbian or gay couples. A portion of the
charges are supposed to be donated to a new non-profit gay and lesbian
charity (created by the financial backers) called the Rainbow Card
Foundation. They are to distribute the moneys to such organizations as the
National Lesbian and Gay Health Association, the National Center for
Lesbian Rights, as well as donate funds towards general AIDS and breast
cancer research.
The advantage, of course, is high visibility. Gays, lesbians and
bisexuals can let merchants know about their purchasing power. Navratilova
says the card is a good way to "harness the economic power of our
community." On the card itself is a wide-angle photograph of the 1993
March on Washington.
The Pride Foundation of Seattle began offering its own credit card for
the lesbian and gay community in 1991. Uncommon Clout is another such
credit card that markets to the gay and lesbian community and turns back a
portion of its profits to non-profit groups.
ARIZONA REPUBLIC REVIEWER SAYS "BALLOT MEASURE 9" BIASED
Ballot Measure 9 is a documentary that reveals the intense and bitter
struggle that Oregonians faced against the Oregon's Citizen Alliance (OCA).
The OCA used fiction, not fact, to whip up support of its anti-gay/lesbian
initiatives. The citizens of Oregon decisively defeated the OCA's efforts
in the November 1992 election.
In a film review of Ballot Measure 9, Bob Fenster of The Arizona
Republic writes that, "It's evident that the filmmakers side with the gay
activists." He says despite the film's coverage of "vandalism and violence
visited upon gay supporters" that it has nothing to say on "cases of
retaliation against the OCA." Fenster points out that the film "always"
shows OCA leaders "making extreme, hate-mongering statements."
What Fenster obviously does not understand is how damaging the hate
rhetoric used in these anti-gay/lesbian attitudes is, and how violence is
bred in such an atmosphere. Gay people were, and are, under attack.
Other reviewers saw the bigger picture:
Los Angeles Times review by Kevin Thomas -- "... 'Ballot Measure 9' - a
comprehensive, incisive documentary on the emotion-charged campaign...is
all the more chilling because of its methodical, cool approach."
Variety review by Emanuel Levy -- "Though the results are known, this
important account also works as a suspenseful tale, one that goes beyond
gay rights to encompass such timely and broader issues as human rights,
cultural diversity and the American political system."
Advocate review by Garrett Glaser -- "'Ballot Measure 9' is an engrossing
and skilled piece of work....Perhaps most valuable, it sheds light on the
opposition's brilliant strategy of framing the issue of equality as one of
'special rights'."
San Francisco Chronicle review by Peter Stack -- "The result is a film that
gives both a depressing and inspiring look at grassroots activism and what
may have foreshadowed the political future in many states via a climate of
hate fanned by extremist groups opposed to 'diversity'."
In addition, the film won the "Audience Award" at the 1995 Sundance Film
Festival.
Ballot Measure 9 is being distributed by Zeitgeist Films. You can call
them at (212) 274-1989 (or fax them at (212) 274-1644) for information
about where Ballot Measure 9 might be playing near you.
To send your comments, please fax or write:
Bob Fenster
The Arizona Republic
Box 1950
Phoenix, AZ 85001
fax (602) 271-8933
e-mail: Opinions@aol.com
The Arizona Republic
DETROIT MAGAZINE OUT OF ORBIT ON GAY ISSUES
A Detroit-based publication, Orbit Magazine, has included anti-gay
content in its November issue. The Triangle Foundation, also located in
Detroit, has called on Orbit's readers, advertisers and distributors to
boycott the magazine. Evidently, two articles in particular are
anti-gay/lesbian: one centered on the murder of a local Catholic priest,
who was gay, and another listed several local support/social groups with
homophobic slurs and insults.
Triangle Foundation President, Jeffrey Montgomery, has communicated
several times with the publisher of Orbit Magazine, Jerry Peterson,
regarding these homophobic pieces. Peterson told Montgomery he had not
considered what might happen to the gay/lesbian social groups whose
telephone numbers he irresponsibly printed.
If you wish to let Orbit Magazine know what you think, please write or call:
Jerry Peterson, Publisher/Editor
Orbit Magazine
919 S Main Street, Suite #2001
Royal Oak, MI 48067
(810) 541-3900
Or, for more information, please contact:
Jeffrey Montgomery, President
Triangle foundation
19641 West Seven Mile Road
Detroit, MI 48219-2721
(313) 537-3323 / fax (313) 537-3379
Triangle Foundation
MORE COMPANIES INSURING DOMESTIC PARTNERS
According to Common Ground, a Massachusetts-based consulting firm, the
number of companies offering benefits to partners of gay employees has
almost doubled since the first of this year. Walt Disney Company is just
one of these businesses. Also on the rise is the number of companies
instituting anti-discrimination policies in order to protect their lesbian
and gay employees. The count of Fortune 1000 companies implementing such
policies has grown from 500 to an estimated 750, says Liz Winfield,
co-founder of Common Ground.
There are an estimated twelve million gay employees laboring here in the
United States, but without anti-discrimination statutes in place
everywhere, many such employees may be hestitant to request domestic
partner benefits. Costs for businesses willing to offer this insurance is
low, due to a lower incidence in gay relationships of childbirth. In
addition, many domestic partnerships may earn two incomes, and each person
may already receive individual benefits from their particular employer.
According to Winfield, domestic partner coverage adds "less than one
percent to the total medical insurance budget of any of the private sector
employers in the U.S."
Starbucks, Coors Brewing, Sony, American Red Cross, Paramount, Apple
Computer, and the city governments of Seattle, New York, Baltimore, San
Diego, Montreal and Toronto, to name just a few, are all among the growing
number of companies offering such domestic partner benefits.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) will be offering
workplace kits in 1996, to assist in educating gay and lesbian employees
about these important issues. Please call the Field Office to reserve your
kit.
Reuters
GLAAD DIRECTORY
National Field Office, Portland
(new address as of December 1st)
707 SW Washington St., Suite 350
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 224-5285
FAX: (503) 224-5480
Los Angeles Office
8455 Beverly Blvd., Suite 305
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(213) 658-6775
FAX: (213) 658-6776
New York Office
150 West 26th St., Suite 503
New York, NY 10001
(212) 807-1700
FAX: (212) 807-1806
GLAAD CONNECTS!
GLAAD@glaad.org
(main e-mail address, moderated by Loren Javier in Los Angeles)
world
wide
web
GLAAD
site
http://www.glaad.org
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Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
glaad@glaad.org
http://www.glaad.org
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, GLAAD, is a national
organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of
individuals and events in the media as a means of combatting homophobia and
all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity.
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